?Chapter 558:


    But he seemed rxed, even charming.


    She nodded and rxed, allowing herself to enjoy the evening.


    As the chef ced the first few dishes in front of them, Rutherford used the serving fork to portion some onto her te.


    The nearby diners—mostly women—smiled in their direction, clearly noticing the way he was tending to her.


    “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered a bit of everything,” he said warmly.


    Ste looked a little flustered. “Thank you. But really, you don’t need to serve me. Just enjoy your meal too.”


    Rutherford smiled. “Serving a lovelydy is my pleasure.”


    If it hade from anyone else, she might have rolled her eyes.


    But there was something about the way Rutherford said it—polished, respectful, almost old-fashioned. Maybe it was the years he’d spent abroad, or maybe it was just the kind of man he was.


    Ste had just popped a piece of sashimi into her mouth when she noticed William stepping through the entrance.


    She blinked in surprise, starting to think Choria was getting oddly small—everywhere she turned, she saw someone she knew.


    It used to be Marc showing up all the time, and now it was William.


    Was it pure coincidence, or was something pulling them together?


    William looked around the room until his eyesnded on Ste and Rutherford seated off to the side. A faint smile crossed his lips as he made his way over. “Rutherford, fancy seeing you here. Didn’t know you were a fan of sashimi.”


    Rutherford gave a polite nod. “Mr. Briggs, yes, quite the coincidence indeed.” William looked around and noticed the ce was packed. The only free seat left was the one beside Ste.


    Noticing William’s intent to sit, Rutherford calmly said, “You seem rxed today, Mr. Briggs. Weren’t you meeting someone this evening?” William raised an eyebrow and let out a shortugh. “You really stay updated on my schedule. The meeting got canceledst minute.” Saying that, he sat down next to Ste without hesitation.


    “Rutherford, things went great for you overseas, didn’t they? Weren’t you engaged or something? Wouldn’t your fiancée be upset seeing you here with Ste?”


    gα?ησν????s, where the best stories live


    Ste was surprised to hear this. She didn’t know Rutherford had been engaged. “You must be mistaken, Mr. Briggs,” Rutherford answered, his voice calm. “I’ve never had a fiancée.”


    William pretended to think, then added, “Ah, right. Back in your student days, you weren’t exactly a hit with thedies. They teased you for being on the heavier side.”


    He looked at Ste, adding casually, “Did you know Rutherford used to be really chubby?”


    Ste nced at Rutherford, trying to picture how he might have looked before. Rutherford’s face fell—he had hoped Ste wouldn’t hear about this side of his past. He had wanted Ste to see the version of him he was now, not the one he used to be. But it felt like William was deliberately trying to ruin that.


    Rutherford gave him a hard stare. Was this about Sylvia? Did William have feelings for her too? What other reason would William have to bring up old, embarrassing memories out of nowhere?


    Their eyes locked, and a strange tension built up—one that wasn’t about business at all.


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